The Decline in African-American Representation in Unions and Manufacturing, 1979-2006

This report details the sharp decline in African-American employment in manufacturing and the even sharper decline in African-American unionization rates. The study, which analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey, shows that the share of American workers in unions continues to fall, but unionization rates for African-Americans have declined more sharply than for the rest of the workforce.